Local clubs have lion's share of Opals squad

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VICTORIAN clubs provide seven of the 12 Opals who will leave for
New Zealand tomorrow for their three-game world championship
qualifying series against the Tall Ferns that starts next
Wednesday.

Women's National Basketball League premiers Dandenong Rangers
have four in the side and Bulleen Boomers three as the teams'
coaches, Gary Fox (Dandenong) and Cheryl Chambers (Bulleen), join
head coach Jan Stirling on the coaching panel.

Rangers in the green and gold are Jacinta Hamilton, Emily
McInerny, Carly Wilson and Emma Randall.

Bulleen has Dee Butler, Katrina Hibbert and Hollie Grima.

The Opals have only one Athens Olympian available, guard Alicia
Poto, who is joining Sydney Flames for the season that starts at
the end of September rather than return to play in Europe.

Veteran centre Jenny Whittle rejoins the Opals after a
three-year absence, having last played in the 2002 world
championships when Australia won the bronze medal. The Olympic team
won silver two years later.

Whittle (197 centimetres) will add height and international
experience to the team that plays game one in Palmerston North on
Wednesday, game two in Napier next Saturday and game three in Te
Awamutu the following day.

Unlike the men's world titles, in which the number of
participating countries has increased from 16 to 24 with two from
Oceania, the women's competition still has 16 teams and only one
from Oceania.

This means the NZ series is do-or-die for the Opals for next
year's world championship, which will be played in Brazil.

The Boomers won game one of their Kiwi series 82-69 on Wednesday
and in game two in Auckland today can secure Oceania's top seed for
the titles in Japan.